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Key Points
In her book, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking, Mrs. Meggett has a recipe for Chicken Perloo. She says, “Many of the one-pot rice dishes in the Lowcountry and the South can trace their origins back to west Africa. There’s jollof rice in West Africa, jambalaya in Louisiana, and here in the Lowcountry? We’ve got red rice and chicken perloo which has a lot of the same European and African cooking styles you find in dishes like Spanish paella and Ghanaian jollof rice. However, tender chicken, broth, and perfectly fluffed rice make this a true Lowcountry dish.”
From New Vision Community Church’s Feeding the Flock, we have Butternut Squash Casserole, contributed by Nancy Payne. Considering their benefits, these large winter squashes are thrifty. Not only delicious, butternut squash is nutritious and satisfying. They are very easy to roast in the oven. It is the preferred method of cooking over boiling or steaming because it comes out of the oven so fragrant and flavorful! After roasting for an hour or so, all you do is scoop out the roasted squash with a big spoon and then discard the skin. Then get out your large bowl and mash up the soft, cooked squash, using it for recipes or simply flavoring it with salt, pepper and butter for serving at your table. It is so delicious and beautiful, I prefer to get my knife and fork just as it comes out of the oven, put it on my dinner plate along with my other food, and butter it and season it with salt and pepper, and enjoy it just as nature provided!
Here are some directions for novices from Amy atPinchMeGood.com: Using a large sturdy cutting board, you will cut the ends off the squash. Stand it up, and, with a sharp kitchen knife, cut it in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds with a spoon, saving them for roasting, if you like. Then brush the squash ends with olive oil, sprinkling the squash with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet, cut side up, and bake for an hour or more at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You will know it is done when you can easily stick a fork in it.
A delightful recipe from Southern Living’s All-Time Favorites is Crispy “Fried” Onion Rings. They are fried for only a minute or so, then finished in the HOT oven. There is also a version for Beer-Battered “Fried” Onion Rings. Who doesn’t love onion rings?
In celebration of our current cool weather, along with a big sigh of relief, we have Mrs. Violet Osborn’s Orange-Nut Cake that she has shared with Stew-Pot Favorites of Zellwood, which just happens to be one of our favorite resources.
EMILY MEGGETT’S CHICKEN PERLOO
Recipe from Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
INGREDIENTS:
6 tablespoons bacon grease or vegetable oil
1/2 pound salt pork, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup roughly chopped onion
5 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon Nature’s Seasons (Morton’s Nature’s Seasons Seasoning Blend)
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 pound cooked chicken thighs, skin removed and roughly chopped
2-1/2 cups long-grain white rice, unrinsed
DIRECTIONS:
1) In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease or oil over high heat. Once the grease or oil is shimmering, add the salt pork and cook on high heat for 1 minute. Pour the remaining bacon grease or oil into the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the salt pork for about 5 minutes, until browned. 2) Once browned, remove the salt pork from the pot and set aside. Leave enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the onion and fry for 1 minute. Return the cooked salt pork to the pot and cook the onion and salt pork together over low heat for about 5 minutes, until onion just darkens. 3) Add the broth, Nature’s Seasons, and poultry seasoning and bring to a boil. 4) Once boiling, add the chicken. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the rice. Adjust the heat to medium-low and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. 5) If using a steamer, transfer the rice mixture to the top of the steamer, cover and steam over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until done. If you’re using the regular pot, continue to cook the rice mixture on medium-low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice has absorbed all of the broth. Once done, stir the rice with a fork, and serve immediately.
NANCY PAYNE’S BUTTERNUT SQUASH CASSEROLE
Recipe from New Vision Community Church’s Feeding the Flock
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups butternut squash, cooked and mashed
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring
DIRECTIONS:
1) Combine all ingredients, blending well. 2) Spoon into lightly greased 1-1/2-quart casserole dish. 3) Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until firm.
CRISPY “FRIED” ONION RINGS
Recipe from Southern Living All-Time Favorites
INGREDIENTS:
1 large sweet onion
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 egg white
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
Vegetable cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
DIRECTIONS:
1) Cut onion into 1/4-inch-thick slices and separate into rings. Select largest 12 rings, reserving remaining onion slices for another use. 2) Whisk together buttermilk and egg white in a small bowl until blended. 3) Dredge onion rings in flour; dip into buttermilk mixture, coating well. Dredge again in flour and place on a baking sheet. 4) Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Tilt pan to coat bottom of skillet. Add 4 onion rings to skillet and cook 1 minute on each side or until golden. Wipe skillet clean. 5) Repeat procedure twice with remaining onion rings and oil. 6) Place fried onion rings on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. 7) Bake at 400 degrees for 3 minutes. Turn onion rings and bake 3 more minutes. 8) Remove from oven, and sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately.
DIRECTIONS FOR BEER-BATTERED “FRIED” ONION RINGS:
1) Prepare as directed through the first step. 2) Reduce buttermilk to 1/4 cup and whisk together with 1/4 cup light beer and 1 egg white. 3) Proceed with the rest of the directions as directed. 4) Makes 3 servings.
VIOLET OSBORN’S ORANGE-NUT CAKE
Recipe from Stew-Pot Favorites of Zellwood
Woman’s Society of Christian Service, Zellwood
INGREDIENTS:
1 large orange
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup pecans
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup + 1/4 cup milk (1 cup milk total)
2 eggs
INGREDIENTS FOR DRIZZLE:
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans for top of cake
DIRECTIONS:
1) Grind orange pulp and rind along with raisins and pecans. Save orange juice for topping. 2) Sift together the flour, soda, salt, and sugar. 3) Add shortening and 3/4 cup milk. 4) Beat two minutes with electric mixer at low speed. 5) Add eggs and remaining 1/4 cup of milk. 6) Beat two minutes. 7) Fold orange-raisin-nut mixture into the batter. 8) Pour into well-greased and lightly floured 13 x 9 x 2-inch cake pan. 9) Bake in 350-degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes. 10) While cake is baking, combine 1/3 cup orange juice, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. 11) Heat mixture to completely dissolve sugar and cinnamon. 12) Drizzle this mixture over the warm cake. 13) Sprinkle top with 1/2 cup chopped pecans (or more if you like).